Defense contractor Raytheon launched an “anti-racism” program in summer 2020, encouraging white employees to “identify their privilege” and “step aside” in favor of minority employees, according to documents obtained by City Journal‘s Christopher Rufo.
The program, called “Stronger Together,” encouraged employees to “becom[e] an anti-racist today.” One workshop aims to teach employees about the concept of “intersectionality,” which is described as exposing “interlocking systems of oppression” and “break[ing] down power into privilege and marginalization.”
Other suggestions for employees include “what not to say to your black colleagues right now,” which include statements like, “I can’t wait for things to calm down and get back to normal.”
It was not immediately clear how widely the materials were disseminated among Raytheon employees, or whether participation in the workshops was optional or mandatory. Raytheon did not respond to National Review‘s request for comment in time for publication.
Raytheon is one of the largest American defense contractors. The company won an up to $2 billion contract from the U.S. Air Force last week to build a nuclear-capable cruise missile, to be carried by B-21 and B-52 bombers.
Rufo obtained documents in May showing that defense contractor Lockheed Martin held a program for 13 top executives led by a consulting firm called White Men As Full Diversity Partners. The three-day Zoom seminar was called the “White Men’s Caucus.”
The employees, including the vice president of production for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jet and a former three-star general, were asked to internalize “white privilege statements” including, “I can commit acts of terrorism, violence or crime and not have it attributed to my race.”
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